Best way to deal with a telemarketer

[Fern]

First, i've tried to minimize the calls by registering online for the Do Not Cal list. I realized recently when i suddenly started getting a rush of telemarketing calls that the registration is only good for 5 years, and my 5 years was up, so had to register again.

but when they do call, and somehow, some manage to slip through, i politely ask them if they could hold on forjust a minute andof course they're thrilled i actually want to talk to them. Then i lay the phone down and go about doing whatever it was i was doing.

Not only are you frustrating a telemarketer, but you're tying up the line so there are that many less people they can irritate.

[sweeps]

I didn't get any telemarketer calls for a long time. But in the last year, they've really ramped up again. The do-not-call list doesn't apply to charitable and political solicitations, telephone "surveys", and calls from any company you've done business with before. So of course all telemarketers now conveniently fit into one of those categories. The worst are the pre-recorded telemarketer calls -- how do you defeat that? It's pretty aggravating.

[debtfreeme]

i love it! but if they call me they are calling on my cell phone so that would eat up minutes. I just tell them that the phone call is being recorded, tell them that from now on they cannt call or else their company is going to be sued. (ok to do this in CA if you tell them not to contact you any more). works for me on the few calls i get on my cell phone.

[Ima saver]

I have done the walk away thing like fern, but most of the time I let my answereing maching pick up and screen my calls. Would you believe that I just got one while typing this. I guess it is good exercise.

[Thrifty Ray]

With caller ID it's easy...click on, click off.....no need to discuss anything...
If my DD3 is home, she loves to chat with them....she messes with them for a while and then tells them no thank you, please take us off your list, and hangs up.

I love these new foreigner calls where you can't understand them...and when I ask them to take us off the list...they say 'you tell why'....grrrr...hold on, DD3 will explain it....lol usually, I just use the 'click on, click off' means...

[tomkat]

Caller ID!!!!!!!!! I never pick up my phone unless I recognize the number. There are very few actual people that call my house, and of course I recognize all of their numbers. If it's a 1-800, 1-888, 1-877, or private call, or some strange out-of-state number (after all, I'm here in Alabama, been here all of my life, and I definitely don't know anyone in places like Massachusets or Iowa), then it's almost always a telemarketer.

[PRICEPLUS]

Pick up phone and hang up immediately. If Iam annoyed I'll ask them to hold on a second and then walk away. Since I signed up for the do not call list I rarely recieve solicitations on the phone any more.

[lrjohnson]

If one slips though, as soon as I realize it's not a friend I say, kinda polite and kinda curt, "I do not accept any phone solicitations, please remove me from your list" and I hang up without waiting for a response.

The machine ones are irritating, and I don''t know how to handle them. (I am a Do Not Call gal.)

[Tightwad Kitty]

As we don’t have a Do Not Call List at the moment here. They are still thinking about it. We are being flooded with calls centre from India. Yes ,a lot of companies sent off shore they call centre to there too! They are trained to talk with Aussie saying and give an English name too! Most are phone companies, now some are stealing phone customers too! By signing up you over the phone to charge your company but with another Telemarketer doing the talking you saying yes to change companies! If this happens, you may charge back but you lose your phone number and have to pay for any calls you have made. Now, I don’t talk to any but the company than I am with.

I have now got very rude with them, if you got an Indian accent then I will, say I am not interested, good-bye at the same time, as I am hanging up the phone. I don’t hear what is said after that! Real Estate, Loans, or Phone Companies all get the same reply, as I tried to get to the phone before the answering machine comes on too! I am getting mad when I find out its them! If they get to the answer machine they don’t put a message on it! I once got a message on it saying “Sorry I only talk to an answering machine.” It must have been an answering machine.
I won’t have vocal mail on my cell phone. Its SMS or quick calls only.

[abowers]

I have voice mail on my cell phone, but I don't get any telemarketers calling me. There are a couple occasional wrong numbers, and I've maybe had 1 or 2 people call me to solicit something-- and I say "You are calling me on my cell phone." and they usually apologize and hang up. I think I've heard that companies can get in trouble if they are bugging you on your cell phone.

[Tightwad Kitty]

Originally Posted by abowers

I have voice mail on my cell phone, but I don't get any telemarketers calling me. There are a couple occasional wrong numbers, and I've maybe had 1 or 2 people call me to solicit something-- and I say "You are calling me on my cell phone." and they usually apologize and hang up. I think I've heard that companies can get in trouble if they are bugging you on your cell phone.

Not here in Australia, we are getting a lot of spam and SMS calls that cost $3.00 each way if you get caught up in it! If they get your number then you are can get it, they are selling the information on to others. Its a big problem, one high school got caught up in it and it had cost the students over $20000 in 8 hours in total up until when principal found out about it! It was something about your past life? It was on the News here.

[PrincessPerky]

Should be a few less right now, some riots or something in india, tying up the people supposed to be doing DHs old job (meaning DH is stuck doing it)

[Fern]

For thos of you who rely on caller ID to screen calls, keep in mind that some people (myself included) use pre-paid calling cards (basically cus it's cheap) when making toll calls. Those numbers will show up with some odd out of state number, even if it happens to be someone you know in a nearby area.

[sweeps]

Originally Posted by Fern

For thos of you who rely on caller ID to screen calls, keep in mind that some people (myself included) use pre-paid calling cards (basically cus it's cheap) when making toll calls. Those numbers will show up with some odd out of state number, even if it happens to be someone you know in a nearby area.

Good point, Fern. FYI, these numbers commonly end in 9978.

[PrincessPerky]

Heh, I could never use caller id on a regular phone, DHs work shows up as unknown number!